What is the purpose of DNA?

Question

Is it like a genetic programmer or something like that?

Answer 1

DNA is the blueprint of life. It dictates eye color, bone structure, blood type, basically everything about you. You get one half of your genome from your mother's egg cell and the other half from your father's sperm cell. This blueprint then controls how you, as an embryo develops, and further down, how you as a baby will also develop. The purpose of DNA is to not only control development, but it is also pass down information as well. Most advantages in the genome will be passed down to the next descendant, causing the general population to eventually evolve, providing life with ever-changing beings.

Answer 2

thats definitely a broad question. But yes, it is the genetic information that makes us who we are.

Answer 3

Bingo!  DNA is the instruction manual for how to build a life form.

Answer 4

Blueprints is the general answer, but some theories indicate that DNA might have begun as storage for the data contained in RNA.

Answer 5

DNA is the blue-print for the human body. It contains genetic information, coding for our eye color to our hair color to our type of blood cells. Every living thing has its own DNA. Without it, there is no basis for life.

Answer 6

It is like the genetic program. Proteins carry out the vast majority of action, but DNA contains the instructions.

So it's like a computer program--the program itself doesn't actually do anything but tell the compter what to do. I also like to think of DNA as blueprints--it's notthe building, but you can't build a building without blue prints.